[Kitsuna POV]
"Haah… haah… fuck—thank god he left."
The words came out between ragged breaths as my body shuddered. My head, or rather the charred stump where it used to be, was knitting itself back together with a wet, sizzling sound. It wasn't pretty. I could feel each strand of sinew and muscle twisting back into place. My vision flickered, static at the edges, until my eyes reformed and the arena stopped spinning.
"We could have killed him here, you know."
Mom's voice was flat and uncaring, as if she were commenting on the weather.
"No, Mom, we couldn't have," I said, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. "I had maybe—at most—ten seconds before I completely lost it. Ten seconds before I went insane. I'm already in enough pain as it is, and once I snapped, not one of you would have been able to stop me. Not even you. Only Gran could."
I tilted my head back and hissed through my teeth as a burning wave crawled through my skull.
Fuck… Gran did warn me it would happen again, but holy shit—this hurts more than I remembered. On the bright side, thanks to her training, I at least knew how to survive it now. I wouldn't accidentally burn myself out to death… but that didn't mean the recovery would be quick. I had weeks—maybe more—of slow, agonizing healing ahead of me.
"Gran?" Mom asked, brow furrowing.
"That would be me," came a voice like silk wrapped around steel.
A shimmer of heat distorted the air beside me, and then—there she was. A massive feline shape, fur dark as midnight, eyes glowing with lazy amber light. She padded across the cracked arena floor with the kind of grace that made you forget the place reeked of blood and ash.
She looked down at me expectantly. "Come, Kit. You need to get into the water."
"Gran, I can't use mana, remember?" My voice was dry.
"I know." She blinked slowly, like that fact was irrelevant. "Then let's go."
"Wait—let me explain everything first."
"No." She didn't even let me finish. "All you need to know is that she will return in a few weeks, thanks to overexerting herself." Her whiskers twitched with amusement, and before I could protest further, the world blurred.
The arena, the bloodstained floor, the smell of scorched air—all gone.
We were simply elsewhere.
"Hey! Where are you taking her?!" Mom's voice rang out in the distance just before she was left behind.
"Your dragon princess is quite possessive," Gran murmured, almost to herself.
"I am as well… Princess?" Mom's voice faded with the shift, but I caught the bite in it.
Gran replied, "It's not my place to tell."
Mom's sigh followed us like an echo. "…Whatever."
And then the pull of the magic settled, and I found myself standing knee-deep in a steaming spring.
Gran's tail flicked. "You're going to take a few weeks to get back to full strength. Don't even think about rushing it—it isn't needed right now."
I smirked faintly. "Right… It's not like a war's going to start while I'm gone."
Even in my head, the joke sounded hollow.
[Stacy POV]
"Fuck that fucking fox!!"
Kayda's voice cracked like thunder, her dragon aura bleeding into the air. She stood in the center of the ruined arena, fists clenched, glaring at the empty space where Kitsuna had just been.
I ran a hand down my face. Haah… what has my daughter gotten herself into this time?
"Stacy, are you alright?" Dean's voice pulled me back. He landed beside me, wings folding in, his expression tight with worry.
"I'm fine." I gave him a once-over in return. "Two clones down; the last one ran away with all the angels."
Dean's jaw tightened. "So that's how they slipped away so easily."
He was angry—more than he was letting on.
"How severe are the casualties?" I asked.
"It could have been better," he said grimly. "Civilian casualties are minimal, but soldier losses are high. They hit exactly where our forces were clustered around their targets, and they struck before anyone saw them coming. Even with an early response, we took a hard hit."
I cursed under my breath. "Dammit. They ambushed you."
"Yes. But…" He glanced at Kayda, who was still pacing like a caged beast. "What's with her?"
I rubbed my temple. "Our daughter got herself kidnapped by a cat."
Dean's eyes narrowed. "…How did she manage that?"
"She killed two god-clones."
He blinked. "She killed two?"
"Well… one and a half. We were about to finish one off when she took the last hit. She handled the other one herself." I shrugged. "They were weaker copies, but still—clones."
Dean shook his head slowly. "So she played them somehow?"
"I can explain what she's been doing these past two weeks," Kayda cut in, finally approaching. Her voice was steady now, but the tension in her posture hadn't eased.
Dean and I both turned to her. "We're listening."
"You remember the day you lost her in the slums?" she asked.
"Yes…" I said cautiously. "However, I am certain that I did not mention that to you."
"Well, she's been in the Dead Forest since then. More specifically, in a cave with the Sin of Sloth—that cat woman."
Dean froze. "…She found the Sin of Sloth?"
Kayda smirked faintly. "To be more precise, the Sin of Sloth found her."
Dean exhaled slowly. "…To think that being was in the Dead Forest."
"No need to worry," Kayda said. "Kitsu told me herself—the 'old hag' wouldn't move a finger to eat food, let alone start a war. I assume whatever happened two hundred years ago that led to her destroying part of the Federation was because someone really pissed her off."
Dean gave a low grunt of acknowledgment.
"Of course, Kitsu also overlooked the fact that the cat was actually a woman," Kayda added dryly.
I shook my head. "That cat's probably over a thousand years old."
Kayda shot me a sharp glare, but Dean cut in before she could bite back. "Can we get back to the important things?"
"Yes, dear," I said lightly, though my mind was still racing.
"We need to get a report to the border as soon as possible."
"Kayda can do that," I said, glancing at her. She gave a curt nod before taking off into the sky.
"Second—we clean up," Dean continued.
"Don't worry about that too much," came a smooth voice from behind.
I turned, already bracing myself. "Oh, so you stuck around?" My tone was pure sarcasm as I eyed the Prime Minister strolling toward us. Behind him, the king trailed along, drenched in blood, looking far too calm for someone in his state.
The Prime Minister looked as pristine as if he'd just stepped out of a bath.
"Of course," he said mildly. "I can't leave everything to you."
"My king, we must get you checked first," the prime minister urged, glancing back at him.
"Not yet," the King said firmly. "We'll sort the plans first. Then we'll worry about me."
I rolled my eyes toward Dean. The king's grandfather had been a demented old tyrant, but at least he'd been decisive. This one… was drifting toward uselessness. I just hope he opens his eyes before it's too late.
"Can we please get moving before I lose my patience?" Dean's voice cut through the air, deep and commanding. It sent an old, instinctive chill down my spine.
"You dare—!" The prime minister began but stopped when the two gods returned, battered and bruised.
"He's right," the female god said sharply. "We need to act before this spirals. The nobles won't keep quiet."
The king's gaze shifted. "Then I grant Dean Draig authority as captain to sort this out. I expect you three to follow his orders as if they came from me."
The gods accepted it without hesitation. The Prime Minister's reluctant nod was the only resistance.
This is why you don't make old friends your prime minister, I thought as the man escorted the king away.
"Alright," Dean said, turning to the remaining gods, "two requests. First—deal with the nobles. Arrange a strategy meeting with the high houses tonight. Make sure the Duke attends. I'm certain he's sorted himself out by now, and he'll be eager to redeem himself—and his daughter."
The female god nodded. "I'll handle the Duke. You call in the rest of the central nobles. Tonight, then." And with that, she and her companion vanished.
Dean turned to me. "Stacy, head home. Check on Amari and the Black Ops; make sure they're intact. Get orders out to reinforce the border—double patrols, pair them in teams. Recall all central-area soldiers from the noble houses so we can prepare for war."
I raised a brow. "You think we're headed there?"
"Most likely," Dean said without hesitation. "The Federation has been bolstering its forces. With the demon cult and angel cult both more active these past months, I'm certain they're feeling confident."
I exhaled slowly. War. Again.
And this time, with Kitsuna gone… we'd be walking into it without her.
[Kitsuna POV – Epilogue]
The water was warm enough to sting, heat sinking into my bones like a living thing. My limbs felt heavy, as if the spring itself was pulling the fight out of me. Steam curled around my face, thick and scented faintly of iron and wildflowers—an odd mix that told me the water was no ordinary healing pool.
Gran lounged at the edge, tail swishing lazily, watching me with those half-lidded eyes that always looked like she was on the verge of napping.
"This spring," she murmured, "is older than your little kingdoms. It will mend you—but slowly. The wounds in your body are nothing compared to the strain you've put on your soul."
"I know," I said quietly, closing my eyes. "I could feel it tearing."
"And yet you kept going."
I cracked one eye open at her. "Would you rather I hadn't?"
Her whiskers twitched. "I'd rather you learned when to stop before you burn out completely. Wrath is a sharp blade, Kit. It cuts clean—until it turns and cuts you."
I let the words settle, sinking deeper into the water until it lapped at my chin.
From somewhere deep in the spring, I felt the slow, steady pulse of magic—like a heartbeat that wasn't mine. It threaded into me, pulling the frayed edges of my power taut again. It would be weeks before I could fight like I had today… but I'd live.
Gran stood, stretching like the predator she was. "Stay here. Heal. When you leave, the world will already be moving toward its next war."
I sighed. "Guess I'd better be ready, then."
"You will be," she said simply, before fading into the mist.
And for the first time in days, I let myself drift.